


The Smith, the Queen, and Eight Confused Swordsmen

by Salt00



Series: Linked Universe and connected pieces [1]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: Blood Loss, Concussions, Four's Hyrule is the one in the Minish Cap series, Gen, Hypothermia, Kinda, Linked Universe, LinkedUniverse, ok so there's a little bit of violence now, the gang's all here, woops got a lil sad, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-13 12:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18468538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salt00/pseuds/Salt00
Summary: “You guys want to do another bet about age? Really? Did you all forget the bet we had about Time?”It all started with a bet. A few days later and Four's Hyrule is still standing (somehow). At least by the end of it all, nothing was broken (except Wild's tooth). Time buys a lot of milk, Warrior gets pranked, Sky enjoys a well earned nap, Legend finds some old friends, Twilight keeps seeing tiny people, Hyrule falls down a well, and Wind is a cheerful chaos gremlin.





	1. Legend of Dumbass Bets

“H-hey, Four, are you awake?”

 

Four’s eyes snapped open, instantly awake at the sound of Wild’s whisper. Blinking in the darkness, he could barely make out Wild’s hunched form.

 

“I’m awake. Is everything alright?” Four said, keeping his voice low.

 

“Uh, we’re not in any danger, if that’s what you mean…?” Wild said, guilt and shame lacing his voice.

  
Four sat up, realizing he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep. “It’s alright Wild, why did you wake me?”

 

“I’m sorry, I—”

 

Four waved a hand. “No apologies, I’m not mad. What’s the problem, Wild?” Four said as gently as he could manage. It was odd that Wild wanted help from him instead of Twilight or Time.

 

Wild sighed, and pulled out a shield. A very familiar shield. A very familiar shield with a long dent running from top to bottom.

 

Well, that explains it.

 

“... Ah. You want me to repair that?”

 

“Can you?” Wild sounded desperate. “I really didn’t mean to break it, but I needed a shield to get down the hill fast, and I just grabbed Time’s. I didn’t think it would break!”   
  


“You wanted to get down the hill fast… so you needed a shield…? Nevermind. Hand it over, I’ll take a look at it.”

 

Sure enough, running his hand across the shield, Four could tell that Wild really had done a number to it. A little more force and the entire thing would have crumbled.

 

Four was grateful the darkness hid his grimace. Wild’s accidental-destructive tendencies were a horror story for a blacksmith like himself. How he managed to nearly destroy Time’s Mirror Shield was not something Four wanted to know.

 

“I can fix it, but it won’t be easy. However, you’re in luck.”

 

“I am?” Wild said, not sounding like he believed it.

 

“Yes, because we are in my Hyrule right now. We’re near the edge of the Minish Woods, where my house and forge is. Without that, I’d be hard pressed to fix this shield in any reasonable amount of time. And I assume you want to fix it before Time notices?”

 

Wild nodded vigorously.

 

“Thought so.” Four looked upwards, checking the moon. “It’s still a few hours before morning, so I’ll slip off and repair it. Should be done and back just a little after breakfast, so save some for me as my payment.”

 

“I should go with you…” Wild said, glancing at the dark edge of the forest.

 

Four shook his head. “I’ll move faster alone. Don’t worry, these woods are my home. I know where I’m going.”

 

With that, Four grabbed his gear with the usual smooth efficiency that all Links possessed. He gave a reassuring smile to the still guilty looking Wild.

 

After alerting Wind that he would be leaving (Wind usually woke early, and thus often had the morning watch), Four headed off into the woods that he had called home since his adventuring days ended.

 

He stopped after a short time, just outside of hearing range of camp. Pulling out his old ocarina, he smiled. The path through the woods would usually take at least half a day’s walk to reach his home. However, he knew a little birdie that would happily take him straight to his home.

  
  


~~**~~

  
  


Breakfast began the same it did every day. Delicious food made by Wild with everyone gathered around the fire and digging in.

 

Thankfully, Time had yet to notice his missing shield

 

“Pup, what did you do,” Twilight said as soon as he had his food in hand.

 

Wild’s head shot up from where he had been studiously keeping his face to down looking at the food all morning. He had been hoping if he didn’t make eye contact with anyone, no one would notice…

 

Twilight was still staring at him, single eyebrow cocked.

 

“N-nothiiing, what makes you think I, uh, did something?”

 

Legend burst out laughing, nearly spilling his breakfast. “Oh hells Wild, you’re such an awful liar! Haha!”

 

Wild felt a blush forming.

 

“I’m not angry Wild, but what did you do.” Twilight repeated, sounding like what Wild imagined a father must sound like.

 

Wild took a deep breath and resolutely looked at Twilight’s shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said as monotone as possible.

 

This caused Legend to laugh even harder, and his blush to redden.

 

Twilight continued to stare at him. “Could it have something to do with why Four isn’t here this morning?”

 

“Oh, I know why that is!” Wind jumped up, causing Wild to sag in relief. “Since we’re in his Hyrule, he said he needed to go check on his house, to make sure no one broke into his business. He said he’d be back a little after breakfast!”

 

“And he couldn’t have done that during daylight? He thought it best to go off  _ alone _ in the middle of the night?” Time spoke up, disappointment clear in his voice.

 

Wind shrugged. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.”

 

“Well it’s his Hyrule, he probably knows where is and isn't safe,” Hyrule said, “Probably didn’t think it was a big deal.”

 

“Yeah, because none of us have ever been ambushed for getting too cocking on our home turf.” Legend said, sarcastic as usual.

 

“I said I was sorry for that…” Wind mumbled.

 

“Wind, did you say that Four has a business?” Sky asked, thoughtful look on his face.

 

Wind nodded. “That’s what he said.”

 

Warrior whistled. “Damn, the kid already has a business? At his age? Impressive.”

 

“He hates being called a kid, you know.” Twilight said. “Pretty sure he’s at least old enough to drink.”

 

Warrior chuckled. “No way, I know he’s older than Wind here—”

 

“Hey! What’re you trying to say!”

 

“—but there’s no way he’s older than 15.”

 

“Well  _ I _ think we should place bets,” Legend said, smirk solidly in place.

 

“My bet’s on 17!” Hyrule said, barely after Legend finished speaking.

 

“Gah, that was my guess!” Sky grumbled.

 

“You snooze you loose!”

 

Wind rolled his eyes. “You guys really want to do  _ another _ bet about age? Remember the bet we had about Time’s age?”

 

Hyrule chuckled. “Hah, I like that bet though.”

 

Legend scoffed. “That’s cause you and Four are the only two left in the running.

 

“I still think I’ll win.” Twilight said.

 

“You’re bet was ‘way over 60’ so I’m not counting you.” Hyrule smirked.

 

Time rolled his eyes. “Well my bet’s on 25.”

 

Everyone paused, looking at Time.

 

Time coughed. “My bet on Four’s age.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Legend clapped his hands. “Alright, so we got Warrior for 15, Hyrule for 17, Time for 25… who else wants to bet? We better do this before he gets back.”

 

“I’ll bet on 18,” Sky said.

 

“19,” Twilight said.

 

Wild shrugged. “I dunno… 23? He’s pretty mature.”

 

“But he’s tiny.” countered Warrior.

 

“And I’m going with 22.” Legends said. “Wind what about you? Everyone else has placed their bets.”

 

Winds had his hand on his chin, looking downwards deep in thought. “Hmmm… Well, I think…”

 

Wind mumbled something into his hand.

 

“What?”

 

“I said, he goes by Four, right?

 

Everyone looked at each other, not sure where Wind was going with this.

 

“SO, I think he’s 40.” Wind said with the confidence of someone unaware they were holding a live bomb about to blow.

 

The camp bust into howls of laughter. Even Time chuckled.

 

“Y-you wanna place your bet on Four being  _ 40 years old _ ?” Legend could keep the laughter out of his voice.

 

Wind shrugged. “Yup.”

 

“Welp, it’s your rupees.”

 

A few minutes passes. Everyone finished breakfast (except for Wild, who was keeping some warm for Four,) and began gather gear together. 

 

“Has anyone seen my shield?” Time asked.

 

A chorus of ‘no’s responded.

 

Only Twilight noticed Wild’s silence.

 

“Pup.”

 

His face was very, very guilty.

 

Time sighed. “Wild, do you know where my shield is?”

 

“...No.”

 

“Ooo, Wild’s in trouble!” Warrior shouted.

 

“Oh? What did Wild do?” Four asked, appearing from the woods. A small blue and white bird was sleeping on his head.

 

“Four! Welcome back!” Wind waved his arm back and forth with wild enthusiasm.

 

“Thank you all for waiting for me. Time, did you misplace your shield? I found it in the brush at the edge of camp.” Four held out the shield, clean and without a single blemish.

 

“Ah. Thank you, Four.” Time looked over to Wild, who looked was radiating relief. “Wild, did you you my shield last night?”

 

“Um, I might have borrowed it, and then I couldn’t find it… I’m sorry, I won’t do it again!”

 

Time chuckled and patted Wild on the head. “No harm done. Just be more careful in the future.”

 

“I’m surprised he didn’t end up breaking it,” Legend snarked, causing Wild to flush red.

 

“I don’t break everything…” Wild mumbled.

 

Four sat besides Wild as he accepted breakfast.

 

“Hey, Four.” Wild whispered, “Thank you.”

 

Four just smiled. “Any time.”

 

A few minutes later and they were on the road. “We should be able to make it to Hyrule Town by about noon,” Four was explaining.

 

“Oh, we aren’t going to your house?” Wind asked, disappointed.

 

“If we end up having time, I’d love to swing by again. However, my home is small and wouldn’t have room for everyone. We can stay at the inn in town.”

 

Slowly but surely the dirt path became more substantial as they got closer to civilization. Birds chirped, the sun shined, and a soft and cool breeze brought the sweet scent of spring.   
  


“Your Hyrule is very peaceful, Four.” Sky commented.

 

“Mm, yes, my Zelda has grown into a fine queen, if I do say so myself. She has done a great job maintaining peace.”

 

Some of the Links exchanged glances. Usually, Zelda was the princess, not the queen.

 

“What happened to the King?”

 

“Well, we do have a king, but Zelda does most of the work. But if you mean Zelda’s father, king Daltus, he died a few years ago. He had Zelda rather late in life, so he was quite old.” Four shrugged. “We can visit Zelda, if you all want.”

 

A chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘yes!!!’ replied.

 

Now fully out of the woods, the group past a small cow ranch. Four waved to an older man out in the field and received a hearty greeting in response. In the distance, vague outlines of a wall could be seen.

 

Not much further, then.

 

“So, who’s the little guy you got there?” Legend piped up, pointing a finger at the slumber bird still perched on Four’s head.

 

Four smiled. “This is Zeffa. Whenever I play the Ocarina of Wind, he appears and gives me a ride.”

 

“‘Gives you a ride’? He’s tiny.” Twilight frowned, skeptical.

 

Legend waved a hand in Twilight’s direction. “Appearances can be deceiving. I have a flute that summons a bird, ‘bout the same size, takes me wherever I need to go.”

 

“That’s amazing!” Sky piped, bending over a bit to coo at the bird (he didn’t have to bend very far).

 

“Zeffa is how I got to my house and back so fast. Which is also why I didn’t bring anyone with me.”

 

Time shrugged. “It’s still unwise to go off on your own.”

 

At this Four chuckled, confusing the others. “Worry not, Time. I’m never alone.” He grinned, like he was telling an inside joke. “Ah, here we are.”

we are.”


	2. Four! Breaking and entering is ILLEGAL!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys make it to town! Four does the fun illegal thing and kidnaps a monarch. Sneaking into the castle to see Zelda is a Link Tradition, after all.

The group finally came to a stop. The great white walls of Hyrule Town stood tall before them. Though smaller than the Castle Towns of Time or Twilight’s Hyrule, the boisterous and cheerful atmosphere was unmatched by anywhere else they had traveled. Music could faintly be heard drifting out from the walls.

Leaning against the entrance was a lightly armored man. “Halt and state your business,” the smiling guard asked, with a cheerful and almost lazy tone.

“Just in town for a day visit, Vassal.” Four spoke, giving a wave to the man.

“Ah, Link! Didn’t see you there,” the guard chuckled. “Come on in. I hear you’ve been traveling! There’s the Picori festival today, if you haven’t heard already.”

“A festival?” Wind gasped, excitement threading in his voice.

“That time of year already?” Four mumbled.

The guard laughed and thumped Four on the back. “You become more like a hermit every year, Link! We can’t have Queen Zelda dragging you into town every year that you forget.” He turned his gaze back to the rest of the party. “Enjoy the festivities, travelers. Any friends of Link’s is welcome here!”

“Anyone friendly is welcome here.” Four corrected, rolling his eyes. 

“Quite so! Anyways, it was good to see you again Link. Have fun today!”

Four waved goodbye, and the group entered the town.

Four noticed that a few of his companions looked a touch leery about how casual the vassals around town were. Nothing to help it, though. Paranoia was a trait most of them carried like a weapon.

“You seemed to be on good terms with the guard. Friends?” Time asked.

“No, I’m just a known figure. The vassals around here are quite friendly.” Four responded.

“So, Zelda ‘drags you into town’ every year?” Warrior drawled, his eyebrows bouncing with suggestion.

Four just smiled. “Best friends since we were children. It’s tradition to go together at this point.”

Before anyone could comment further, the group was upon the town square.

Music filled the bazaar and did nothing to muffled the buzz of laughter and joy in the square. Games were being held, shops were selling items, food was being offered, and dancing was encouraged.

Four glanced at the sun. “Festivities should last for a few more hours.”

“Alright!” Wind cried, pumping his fist. “I’m gonna go try that slingshot game!”

Time caught Wind by the scruff of his shirt before he could leave.

“We’ll meet back here by sunset. Understood?”

When everyone nodded, the group dispersed.

Four watched everyone spread out. Wind and Hyrule went towards the games. Legend and Warrior went to the stalls. Sky settled under a tree and watched the goings on. Wild and Twilight stuck together, Wild heading towards the food.

Wild bought himself a big slice of bread. Four shuttered, knowing what was about to happen. Wild chomped down on the bread before the baker could warn him, and yelped as his teeth bit into the Kinstone within.

“Fresh milk! Buy some fresh milk!” a familiar voice called out. Four watched Time stumbled and turn towards the woman. Four winced. Oops, should have warned Time.

Four stared as Time beelined for Malon’s milk stand. After a moment of awkward small talk, Time smiled and bought a jar of milk.

Four smiled at the fun everyone was having. He hadn’t known today was the festival, but he was glad. None of the Links had managed to catch a break after the more recent weeks, running place to place being chased by monsters. 

“Well, guess we still need to invite Zelda, don’t we?” Four whispered to himself.

Four slipped away and woke Zeffa. It wasn’t a far walk, but it would be faster with the little bird.

What felt like only a moment later, he touched down beside the castle. He waved to the goodbye as Zeffa left.

He could walk right in and announce himself, but Four had a reputation to keep, damn it. He had never once openly walked through the front gate, and he never would. Besides, he wanted to surprise his old friend.

Plus, he loved confounding the guards with his ‘stealth’.

He loved the ability to shrink.

It wasn’t hard to find Zelda. She was hard at work in her personal study.

Four knocked on the door, not bothering to wait before he entered.

Zelda didn’t look up from her book. “I  _ thought _ I told you that I didn’t want to be bothered, dear husband.”

Four didn’t say anything, instead just leaning against the door and smirking.

“And no, I am not ‘ _ moping _ ’ like you think. I merely do not wish to go to the festival this year.” She huffed, glaring down at her book. “Now, if you would please respect my wishes and leave, that would be wonderful. Thank you, good night.” She aggressively turned the page.

“So you’re saying I snuck into the palace for nothing?” Four quipped, smile on his face.

Zelda startled, book flying across the room as she whipped her head to look at Four. “Bwuh— Link?!”

“The usually one and certainly not only,” Four replied, giving a tiny bow.

Zelda’s face lit up as she race up to Four, engulfing him in a hug before lifting him off the ground and spinning.

She was nearly double his height, much to her eternal delight. Zelda was a bit tall for a woman, and Four was extremely short for a man. She would often tell Four that this fact was her greatest joy in life.

Four chucked at Zelda’s enthusiasm. “Missed you too,” he said.

Setting him down, she frowned. “I thought you were traveling, trying to ‘stop another Great Evil’?”

“I was and still am, but we happened to be nearby. I thought I’d pop in for a visit. I’m glad I did, you looked downright distraught.”

Zelda huffed, and turned her nose up at him. “I was merely busy with some studies! Royal duty, you wouldn’t understand.”

She held that pose for a few seconds before bursting into giggles.

“Alright, I suppose I was a touch down. But, let’s go to the festival! Daylight is burning, it will be over soon!” She quickly grabbed an old robe to put over her royal dress (She always used the same dark robe, it fooled no one who knew her. But when she wore it, the towns folk would know she didn’t want to be treated any differently than anyone else.)

“Of course, Queen Zelda.” Four said with the snarkiest voice he could manage.

She bopped him on the head. “You’re insufferable.” 

Strolling out of the castle was Four’s favorite part, every single time. Like clockwork, a vassal would notice the queen, stand at attention, and then notice Four. At that point, reactions varied. Frustration, disbelief, resigned disappointment. It never got old.

“How does he  _ always _ manage to sneak in without being noticed?!”

Sweet, sweet music.

Along the road connecting the castle to Hyrule Town, Four explained that he had a few traveling companions that he wanted to introduce Zelda to.

Re-entering Hyrule Town treated Four to the sight of Wind, Legends, and Sky dancing in the town square. Wild was off to the side with a small collection of kinstones collected in his arms (how much bread did he eat?) while Twilight and Time examined the colorful stones.

Warrior was the only one to notice Four’s return. He smoothly extracted himself from the conversation with Marcy (the postlady). The way she was hanging onto him should have made it difficult, but Warrior maneuvered her off of him with what spoke of much experience.

“Four! Where’d you disappear to? Ooooh, who’s your lady friend?”

Zelda turned to look at him and mouthed ‘Four?’ He waved a hand. ‘I’ll explain later.’ he mouthed back.

Warrior, with his usual lack of tack regarding women, saddled up to Zelda, charm and smirk firmly in place. “Are you taken, my dear? Because your beauty is truly unparalleled, greater than even Princ— Queen Zelda.”

“Smooth.” Four smirked.

Zelda blinked. Once, twice, and then she was all smile. It was a nice, gentle smile. There were very few people who knew what that smile meant. Four was one of those people.

Zelda was ready to prank the smirk right off of Warrior’s face.

“‘Greater than Queen Zelda,’ you say? Sounds like words from a man who has never seen the Queen herself.” Zelda said, a twang on her words that Four immediately recognized.

Four schooled his face into a grimace. “Don’t mind my friend,” he told Zelda, laying a hand on her arm, “he’s a foreigner, never seen the queen.”

Warrior frowned. Four could see the gears turning in his head.

“Warrior, Queen Zelda is  _ not _ a standard of beauty.” Four said, with the utmost seriousness. “She is a great ruler, but she’s… well,” Four made a show of looking around at whoever was listening (a lot of people were listening in, each and every one of them recognizing the queen). Four brought his voice to a loud whisper. “She’s hideous.”

Zelda nodded along. “‘Tis a tragedy, for such a kind soul to have such a disgusting face.”

“Bald with only five teeth.” Four added.

“Disfigured from birth.”

“Her face is covered in boils and acne.”

“I hear the king had to be bribed to marry her.” Zelda added on, giving a pitying shake of her head.

Four nodded. “Yes, I can confirm that.”

The horror on Warrior’ face was the best thing Four had seen in  _ years _ .

Zelda patted Warrior on the shoulder. “It’s alright dear, you didn’t know. But it’s considered rude to bring it up. It’s actually an insult of the highest degree.”

Four nodded sagely. “Indeed. ‘You have the same grace as the queen,’ is to tell someone they walk bo-legged and drunkenly.”

Someone nearby burst out laughing, but it was easy to attribute that to the general festival. Warrior didn’t notice.

Warrior’s face was  _ white _ . Four was never letting this go. It was only years of pranking combined with his mastery of self that he wasn’t crying with laughter.

“Four… you never told us…” Warrior croaked.

Four put on an innocent face. “I thought you knew? I assumed it was universal.” Four said, referring to Zelda’s appearance for the other Links.

“Oh Goddesses, no!” Warrior cried, pulling a fist through his hair. “Four, your poor queen!”

Someone else in the crown burst into laughter.

“Goddesses… bald… only five teeth…” Warrior muttered to himself, staring at the ground.

Zelda briefly lost composure and shared a wild grin with Four, but regained her gentle smile before Warrior looked up.

“Well, anyways dear, I won’t take offence. You clearly didn’t know. Your name is Warrior? Are you one of these mysterious traveling companions that Link told me about?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah…” Warrior said, looking off into the distance with a thousand yard stare.

Four smacked Warrior’s thigh, bringing him back to reality.

“Ack. Yeah, er- yes, we’ve been traveling with Four for a few months now.”

“Hm, I see,” Zelda commented.

Warrior finally seemed to regain his bearings, replace his former smirk with a slightly smaller one. “Well, please do forgive my earlier insult. Might I know your name, fair maiden?”

Zelda chuckled. “Oh, I’m no maiden, I assure you.” She turned her head and looked down at Four. Her face was angled so Warrior wouldn’t see her wink to Four. “Were I still a maiden, my sweet Link would never have been born!”

On one hand, Four hated the fact that Zelda could play off being his mother and  _ people would believe her _ . On the other hand, it made for many hilarious circumstances. While Four didn’t mind being so short (and enjoyed many of the benefits,) but the worst part was when people mistook him for a child.

Warrior’s jaw dropped. He stared at Four, then looked at Zelda, then back to Four.

More people in the crowd were laughing.

Yes, this was worth it.

“Now, if you would stop flirting with my dearest mother, Warrior, that would be appreciated.” Four placed a hand on his hip and cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh goddesses, I didn’t know, uh, I mean, Four whydidn’tyoutellme—”

“Oh Link, please! It has been so long since I’ve seen your father, and you run off all of my suitors!” Zelda bemoaned. Then she looked through her lashes at Warrior. “Dear, do not worry... I like ‘em young.”

Warrior put his hands out in front of him, taking two quick steps backwards. “No, no no! It’s fine! Y-you are very pretty, but uh—” 

The festival had more or less ground to a halt, the various towns people howling with laughter. Warrior seemed to notice this for the first time, looking around in bewilderment, his face bright red.

“Is everything alright over here?” Time asked, stepping out of the crowd. His confused face made it clear he had no clue why everyone was laughing.

Four took a moment to look out over the various crowd to take inventory of the various Links.

Wind was laughing, tears pouring down is face. A nearby woman was whispering to Wind, so Four assumed he was in on the joke.

Everyone else was staring at the various townsfolk in confusion (or suspicion, in Legend’s case.)

Four couldn’t find Hyrule in the crowd, but he was probably inside one of the many shops.

“Everything’s fine!” Warrior squeaked. “It was nice meeting you, ma’am! I need to, uh, go do something.” Warrior then speed-walked away.

Four was glad to see the laughter didn’t follow him. The townsfolk weren’t malicious, but Four was glad to see they were laughing at his and Zelda’s antics rather than Warrior.

Time looked at Four and cocked an eyebrow.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll understand later. There are still some hours left for the festival, so I plan to use this time to catch up.” Four said, gesturing towards Zelda.

Time shrugged, and retreated back to Twilight and Wild.

“Dear son,” Zelda said, causing a few more chuckles from the surrounding eavesdroppers, “I’m a bit parched, what do you say we retreat to Mama’s Cafe?”

When the door to the cafe shut behind them, the dam burst. Four and Zelda lost any sense of a poker face and began wailing with laughter.

Four was leaning off of Zelda’s side, throwing his head back as he howled. “Oh goddesses! His face!”

Zelda was no better, doubled over with her face smushed into Four’s shoulder. “He really believed us!”

“His horror—!”

“He bought that I was your mother!”

“He thought we were serious!”

They continued laughing for a solid minute, tears streaming down their faces.

Finally, the laughs faded to giggles.

Straightening, Zelda tried to regain her poise, but failed to keep the wide smile from her face.

Four wasn’t sure if he was still smiling due to the laughter, or due to how happy Zelda looked.

_ This _ was why he had taken up the habit of pranking. Zelda needed some fun every so often. She needed to remember to be happy.

“Now, why don’t you tell me about your adventure so far,” Zelda said with a soft smile.

Four chuckled. “Well, if you thought the Four Sword was crazy, let me tell you about my companions…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't played Minish Cap:
> 
> -Kinstones: A common reward found in chests, bought, or in grass. They are used to 'fuse' with other people who hold the other half of the kinstone, which unlocks certain rewards in game. They are viewed as a 'charm that will bring great happiness' by most people. In game, the bakery sells pastries that can contain Kinstones. This always struck me as odd, as a child...
> 
> -Malon: She's in Minish Cap! She lives on Lon Lon ranch, and later in game sets a milk stand to sell her products. She's also in Four Swords Adventures, but it's been a long time since I've played the game, so I don't remember what she does
> 
> Next Chapter:  
> Random person: *says something nice about Zelda’s beauty*  
> Warrior: :O dont sAY THAT THAT’S RUDE
> 
> Four: where is Hyrule?  
> Twilight: im sure hes fine.  
> Elsewhere:  
> Hyrule:...Hello?
> 
> Wind: What's that Wolfie? Hyrule fell down a well?


	3. "I warned you about those wells, bro!" Time shouted down the well. Hyrule did not respond.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wind: tl;dr If you wanna be a Link, you gotta have dead parents  
> Warrior: What? Wind, that has nothing to do with this  
> Wind: I'm unconvinced.

Wind was  _ dying _ of laughter. He was so happy that the nice lady (Anju? He thinks that was her name,) pointed out that the woman with Four was Queen Zelda. This was the best entertainment he’d seen in  _ years _ .

By the time he finished laughing, he saw Warrior walking towards him, the others following in tow. 

Time was explaining something to Sky. Wild was finishing a piece of bread. Twilight was looking at the ground, brow furrowed in suspicion. Legend was counting his rupees.

“Wind, c’mere, I got some juicy information on…” Warrior looked around, as if trying to make sure no one was eavesdropping in the crowded square, “ _ the bet _ .” He whispered.

Wind was mostly successful keeping the grin off his face. “Alright, let’s hear it.”

“Not here!” Warrior whisper-shouted. He jerked a thumb towards a shop. “Over there. It’s locked upfront, but the back is open.”

“We’re breaking into someone’s store?” Wind said flatly, raising his eyebrows and fixing Warrior with a half-lidded stare.

“No, I just told you, the back door’s unlocked.”

“...How do you know this?”

Warrior’s eyes flickered to Legend.

“What? I was curious!” Legend rolled his eyes. “Like any of you wouldn’t have done the same.”

The silence was telling.

Sure enough, the back door was unlocked. The whole place looked rather dusty and unused.

“The perfect place to talk without Four overhearing!” Warrior said. “Now I have some fresh details to share about our little bet.” 

“Hold up, before that—” Wind interrupted, “What are  _ those _ ?” He pointed to Wild, who still had an armful of colorful kinstones.

“No idea,” Wild shrugged, “They were in the bread.”

“They were… in the bread?” Sky spoke the question on everyone’s mind.

“Inside the cake and pie too,” Wild nodded sagely.

Twilight put his head in his hands. “He just… kept buying more,” he mumbled.

“I broke a tooth!” Wild said, holding a up a tooth, as though it were something to be proud of.

“...Why didn’t you take the rocks out  _ before _ biting into it?” Sky questioned again.

“I told him to do that…” Twilight mumbled, head slowly shaking back and forth.

Wild shrugged. “I was hungry.”

“He just kept chomping into each pastry…” Twilight bemoaned.

“They were really good pastries.”

Warrior coughed. “A-nyways, back to ME.”

“Actually, I have one more question.” Wind said, partially to annoy Warrior.

Warrior’s glare was so worth it.

“Why does Time have so much milk?” Wind pointed to Time’s bag, in which multiple bottles of milk could be seen peeking out.

Time looked Wind dead in the eyes. Without moving his head, he pushed the bottles further into his pack and out of view. The sound of glass clinking could be heard. 

“I have no idea what you mean,” the man said, lying.

Everyone just stared at Time for a moment. The Hero of Time was unflinching. His bag was still visible bulging with bottles of milk.

“But—” Wind began.

“Yes?” Time interrupted.

Wind wisely decided this was not a battle he wanted to fight.

“So, about the bet.” Time prompted.

“Uh, yeah! So, turns out Four’s mom is, like, a major hottie—” 

“I’m leaving.” Twilight said, already turning towards the door.

“wAIT I’m not finished yet!”

Twilight stopped and made a ‘get on with it then’ motion with his hands.

“ _ So, it turns out _ , that Four’s mom is, like, not super old.”

“So?” Wild questioned.

“ _ Which means _ , we can narrow down Four’s age!”

“Ah, that’s a fair point!” Legend snapped his fingers. “Four would have to, by default, be at least 14 years younger than her, but more along the lines of at least 20.”

Wind was glad for all the years practicing his poker face with Tetra’s pirates. Glancing at the other gathered Links, it was clear that all of them thought Zelda was Four’s mother.

“But that means we have to ask Four’s mom how old she is…” Twilight muttered.

Warrior winced. “Uh, no, let’s not do that. It’s very rude to ask a woman how old she is.”

Wind smirked. “Oh, that’s ruder than comparing her beauty to Queen Zelda?”

Warrior flushed red.

“What?” Sky asked in confusion.

“You didn’t see the commotion earlier?” Time asked Sky.

“I think I was napping, what happened?”

“Did the rest of you overhear that?” Warrior grit through his teeth.

Legend thumped Warrior on the back. “Y’see Sky, Warrior here called Four’s mother the equivalent of a hag.” Then Legend winced at his own words.

“Don’t say that!” Wild cried. “I don’t care how ugly Four’s Zelda is supposed to be, you can’t just… just…”

“Wait, what?!” Sky was beginning to look alarmed.

“Well,” Legend began, “It seems that Four’s Zelda is hideous.”

“Bald...” Twilight muttered.

“Only five teeth.” Time added.

“Horrible disfigured face,” Legend sighed. “A right shame.”

“No way…” Sky looked horrified.

Wind saw the perfect opportunity. “Well, that’s not so weird, right?” 

The other Links stared at him incomprehensibly.

“I mean, my Zelda’s a pirate. When I first met her, I thought she was a man. An ugly man too!”

“What?” Sky choked out.

Wind scrunched up his nose. “She smells the worst too. Like rotting fish. At first I thought it was just being on the boat, but nope! Apparently that’s just how she naturally smells.”

“You’re serious?” Wild asked, falling for Wind’s innocence hook, line, and sinker.

Wind nodded, like a liar. “Yeah. Got a huge facial scar too, nothing pretty like Time’s.” He traced a line across his face. “It’s all puckered and gross. Never got treated right, she told me.”

Wind loved having an enraptured audience.

“But it’s her kind heart that truly matters. Right? Something superficial like beauty doesn’t matter, it’s about who she is on the inside.” Wind nodded self-righteously.

“W-well…” Legend began.

“Honestly, I can’t even begin to imagine what a ‘pretty’ Zelda would look like.” Wind mumbled, as though he was mulling the concept over. “Wait, are you all telling me that your Zeldas _ aren’t _ ugly?”

“She’s beautiful!” Warrior cried, arm over his aghast expression. “She’s the most divine woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, her appearance is beyond compare!”

“Huh.” Wind said, making sure that he did not sound impressed. “Sounds like all she’s got going for her is her looks.” Wind couldn’t help but feel disappointed with Warrior. Was Zelda’s looks all that he cared about?

“That’s not true!” Sky interrupted. “My Zelda is brilliant  _ and  _ beautiful! I love her!”

“Sounds like your Zelda has it lucky,” Wind said, “would you still love her if she wasn’t pretty?”

Sky flinched like he had been slapped. “I— Of course I would!”

“Then why does it matter what Four’s Zelda looks like? Or any Zelda?” Wind muttered, suddenly serious.

As fun as this was, the way the others were reacting rubbed Wind the wrong way. Sure, Wind knew that Four’s Zelda looked stunning, but that didn’t matter. 

_ His _ Zelda was smart and funny and resourceful. Whether she wore her preferred pirate clothes or if she was gussied up in the old Princess robes, it didn’t matter. Her wisdom wasn’t based on her appearance, it was based on her intellect and experiences. 

Maybe this whole thing was reminding him of his own Zelda’s insecurities. How she worried about everyone judging her for not ‘looking the part of a princess’. 

“... You’re right, Wind.” Time spoke.

Wind whipped his head to look at the older man. “I am? I mean,  _ I _ know I am, but you agree?”

Time nodded. “My Zelda spent seven years training as a Sheikah warrior. But as soon as she took off her Sheikah garbs and put on her royal dress, she would be judged as weak. It’s not quite the same, but the same concept applies. Zelda, all of our Zeldas, are strong in their own right. She’s not just a pretty face.”

Sky nodded. “Yes, you’re right Time. I’d still love my Zelda even if she was bald.”

“Even if she only had five teeth? That might be a deal breaker for me.” Legend joked with an easy grin.

“Yes.” Sky said with conviction.

“Well, this was an enlightening chat,” Warrior rolled his eyes, “but we’re STILL off topic!”

“Oh yeah, Four’s mom.” Sky mumbled.

“And here I thought we were all orphans.” Twilight chuckled.

There was an awkward silence.

“Oh. Guess we are all orphans, except for Four.” Twilight corrected.

Wind held back a wince, knowing the truth. Was being an orphan a prerequisite for being the Hero of Courage?

“Well I’d place his mom at being between 30 or 40. 45 tops.” Warrior said.

There were murmurs of agreement.

“She can’t be any younger that 25.” Twilight added, “And that’s if she had Four at an extremely young age.”

Legend chuckled. “Looks like you’re out of the running, Wind. No way Four’s 40.”

Wind just smiled. “Let’s just wait and see.”

_ BANG! _

The sudden sound of explosions sent the group of Links into a battle ready state.

“Shit!” Warrior cursed, “I knew the damned guards seemed too relaxed!”

“Why is it  _ always _ during the festivals?” Legend grunted.

Screams of children pierced the air.

Hands on their weapons, the group rushed outside, looking for an attack to defend against.

On high alert, the collective Links were prepared for the worst.

“Again! Again!” A small girl was clapping and cheering.

“So cool! Do it again!” A boy was yelling.

Surrounded by small children sat a Goron. The Goron chuckled, nodded, and gestured for the children to stand back. They did so, and the Goron presented a bomb-flower. With a flourish, he set it alight and tossed it into the air.

A large explosion rang out for a second time. The children screamed in joy as the explosion rained down small pink bomb-flower petals over their heads.

Like puppets whose strings were cut, the group exhaled with relief.

“Damn. Thought for sure we had a fight on our hands.” Legend said.

“Looks like we all did.” Time said, sheathing his sword.

“There you all are,” came Four’s voice carried across the crowd.

Expertly using his small size to his advantage, Four weaved through the crowd towards them. Zelda wasn’t far behind. Wind waved at her.

He was pleased that she waved back.

“Started to get worried when I couldn’t find any of you,” Four said lightly.

“Just needed a few minutes to make plans for the rest of the night,” Legend smoothly lied. “We didn’t want to bother your visit with your mother.”

Wind wouldn’t have noticed the tiny upturn in Zelda’s lips if he hadn’t known to look for it.

Four looked over the group, doing a quick tally. “Where’s Hyrule?”

Warrior shrugged. “Not sure. I couldn’t find him earlier.”

Twilight raised his head towards the sky. “Seriously? Please tell me he didn’t wander off and get lost…?” 

The heavens didn’t answer him.

 

~~**~~

_ Two hours earlier…. _

 

Hyrule was munching on a piece of fruit cake. He was glad the baker told him there might be a surprise inside. If not, he would have bit down straight into the strange stone inside. A kinstone, the man had explained. Such a curious item…

He leaned against a well, taking a moment to simply exist. It was nice over here. Away from the crowds. 

These last few months had been running place to place, barely a chance to breathe. He missed the more leisurely pace of his original quests. Sure, he had been in a rush to save the land. But every so often he was able to rest for a day or two, to take a break. Not so with his current quest.

Four’s Hyrule seemed alien. It was hard to place what felt so off about the place.

It just felt so…

Peaceful.

Come to think of it, Hyrule couldn’t remember coming across a single monster. None of the townsfolk mentioned any monster-related worries. Oddly, the only complaints Hyrule managed to overhear were mundane or petty things.

How long had Four’s Hyrule been in peace for?

Was this what peace felt li— 

_ Whu— _

Hyrule’s eyes bugged out as he leaned back a touch too far.

Gravity decided to make itself known.

Before he knew what was happening he was falling.

His throat leapt into his mouth. His stomach rolled. His legs felt numb.

“Shi—!”

His vision went dark. He heard the woosh of air.

Then he felt more than heard the crack as his head connected with the wet stone below.

Then, he felt nothing.

 

~~**~~

_ Now _

 

Hyrule came to awareness slowly. He was freezing. The world was spinning around him. The back of his head was killing him. He cracked an eye open, but the darkness didn’t fade.

He rolled his head to the side, then sputtered as water filled his nose. He coughed and choked as he struggled to right himself away from the liquid.

Up was down and down was left and right was up and Hyrule didn’t know where he was. The world twisted and lurched as he struggled to set himself into a sitting position.

Brushing a hand alongside his skull, he winced as the pain spiked.

He buried his head in his hands.  _ Oww…. _

He was drenched. Soaked to the bone. He was so cold.

It was so dark. He could just barely see with a faint light from the world above.

_ The world above…? _

Where was he?

He was cold, sopping wet, and extremely nauseous. 

His hand felt sticky.

The smell of blood hit him like a brick to the head (or maybe that was just the pain already there). Exploring his throbbing head with his hand again revealed the feeling of clumped blood in his hair.

Awesome.

Where was he again?

Yep, he was definitely concussed.

He shakily made his way to his feet. His head pounded and his legs threatened to drop him.

He fumbled around in the darkness. He felt stone, stone, more stone. Then he grasped something softer, but not soft. Something grain-y? Porrus, almost?

The fist-sized shard of whatever material he found seemed to crumble apart in his hands. He found more bits and pieces of the stuff, ranging from tiny shards all the way to pieces as thick as his arm and near as tall as himself.

He brought the stuff up to his face. The smell of rotting wood overwhelmed him for a moment.

Rotting wood?

Hyrule looked up, pain lancing through his skull at the tiny pike of light hitting his eyes. Through squinted eyes, he could see a faint outline along the wall, the stone a barely fainter color than the rest.

A faint outline roughly shaped like a ladder.

Hyrule dropped the piece of rotten wood from his hand.

Damn.

He fell down the well.

He thought about using a spell to heal his concussion, before sluggishly coming to the realization that he really shouldn’t do any magic while concussed.

Shouldn’t, and probably couldn’t.

Kicking the water, he realized he was standing in a solid two or three inches of water. If he hadn’t fallen face up, he probably would have drowned.

Damn. He could have died.

He fumbled through his pack for his candle.

His whole pack was soaked.

Dammit, no candle then.

Hyrule wasn’t sure if he wanted to sigh, laugh, cry, or go to sleep.

Actually, he definitely wanted to go to sleep. He felt exhausted. He knew, however, that if he went to sleep, alone without guarantee of rescue, he may never wake again.

…

… What was he doing again?

He pawed along the stone walls again, mostly because he wasn’t sure what else to do.

Which is why he fell face first back onto the ground when the wall suddenly wasn’t there.

The sharp crunch of his nose only made his day worse.

Well, this might as well happen at this point…

He stumbled to his knees, swaying. Hyrule could feel blood gushing down the front of his face.

At least he was symmetrical now, bleeding from the back and front of his head.

Then he vomited. 

Uuugh. _ Might as well happen at this point. _

Feeling (carefully this time) Hyrule came to the conclusion that there was a small doorway of sorts. Why was there a doorway in the well?

In front of him, he felt nothing. No wall to orient himself. The tiny amount of light filtering in from above was no longer to be seen. He stumbled a few paces forward, still unable to find anything to help his bearing.

His head hurt. Did it hurt more than before? It hurt a lot.

Blind, concussed, bleeding, shivering, and soaked. Hyrule laughed.

At least he was familiar with the feeling of being lost.  
  
  


~~**~~

 

“I’m sure Hyrule is fine.” Warrior said waving a hand. “We’ll look for him if he’s not back by nightfall.”

“Are you sure?” Four’s mother asked. “The Picori festival is nearly over, and surely he’d like to watch the closing ceremony?”

Warrior had to fight back a blush at the sight of the older woman. He still felt embarrassed from his blunders earlier in the day.

“If he got himself lost, that’s on him.” Twilight shrugged.

 

~~**~~

 

Though a bit rusty, Hyrule knew how to traverse through the darkness. It had been a common staple of his first journey, back before he found his trusty candle.

Slowly but surely, Hyrule made his way forward. One foot forward keeping his weight on his back foot. Sweep left then right, find solid footing. Transfer his weight to the front foot. Arms slowly swiping back and forth, looking for anything solid he might bump into.

It was a more difficult since he was ankle deep in water. Really cold water. Plus he was shaking a bit. Shivering? Probably shivering.

Still, it didn’t take long to fall into his old rhythm. If it weren’t for his gushing nose, he might even thing this was fun! Well, and the concussion. And the nausea. And the water. And— 

Ok, so it wasn’t fun.

At least there weren’t any monsters attacking him. Yet.

…

Where was he again?

…

Then his foot found an edge.

Ugh.

Kneeling into the water, he felt around. In front of him, the stones he walked over on disappeared entirely, leaving instead a deep pool of water.

Feeling left and right, the pool stretched across the whole room.

Not for the first time in his life, Hyrule cursed his inability to swim.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UH SO DON'T KILL ME. I'm sorry about Hyrule. Uh. Honest to the Goddesses, I meant to have him slip down the well, get lost, and then pop back out at some point, having not lost a single heart. It was just gonna be, like, a four line joke. BUT INSTEAD, NOPE! I got to thinking, "dang. That's kinda a long fall. And he'd prob fall on his head. Ooh ouch. That'd prob mean a concussion. And that well water, that's" *googles: average well water temp* "52 degree f? i think that can cause death by hypothermia after, like a few hours." *googles it* "yep."
> 
> ......... I'm very sorry.
> 
> WOW GUYS, WIND IS REALLY FUNNY ISN'T HE? HAHAHAHA, CHECK OUT WARRIOR, SUCH A SILLY GUY!
> 
>  
> 
> NEXT TIME:
> 
> Twilight: is that… is that lantern moving??  
> Wild: ??? what???  
> Twilight: It IS!  
> Wild: What lantern?  
> Twilight: that one right th— IT WAS JUST THERE!
> 
> Four: You need stuff?  
> Picori: :c  
> Four: Here ya go bud, just bring it back when ur done.  
> Picori: c:
> 
> Twi: CLAWS. THERE ARE CLAWS. MOVING!! TIME LOOK TIME TIME!!!!  
> Time: Hm?  
> Twi: L O O K N O W  
> Time: at what?  
> Twi: At the CLAWS! Right ther—  
> Time:...  
> Twi:... they’re gone, aren’t they.  
> Time: Son, when did you last sleep?


	4. Zelda: Dear Goddesses! Someone get a MEDIC!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old friends appear. Hyrule goes through hell. Twilight loses his mind. Legend goes on Hyrule Idol. Four has great reason to be concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The music part is slightly-altered lyrics from here:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZno7ZAR-fM
> 
> First time I've ever thrown song lyrics into a fic, we'll see how it goes over hah.

“The ending ceremony is my favorite part every year. I think all of you will enjoy it.” Four nodded to his companions.

Legend was skeptical, but for once he didn’t say anything. The others were… happy? Content? There was a bright mood that he’d shatter if he said too much. He might be an asshole, but he wasn’t that big of an asshole.

Legend considered himself a music critic. It was rare for him to find someone who could play or sing up to his own standards. How was he supposed to enjoy a song when he kept noticing the musician’s mistakes?

Four’s lady friend (his mom? Legend was having doubts about that…) made a sound of agreement. “Indeed. Each year, the three sisters play a song from their homeland. It’s different every year, but it always sounds magical.”

“‘Songs from their homeland?’” Time asked.

She nodded. “Yes, from the faraway lands of Holodrum and Labrynna.”

Legend jolted. “Wait, what? Really?”

“Indeed. Din, Nayru, and Farore are truly talented.”

What.

“What.” Legend said flatly.

Before anyone could question his response, the three sisters could be seen. 

First was Din. Tanned skin, sleek fiery red waist-length hair, bright crimson eyes. Oversized gold bell-bracelets adorned her wrists and ankles. Long ribbons were attached to her tight rosy dancer’s outfit. Her smirk glimmered of confidence and power as she strutted in front.

To her right was Nayru. Paler than her sister, she was blue to Din’s red. Her hair was bright cerulean, falling to her feet in fluffy wild curls. Her dress flowed like water in alternating shades of cyan and azure. In her arms rested an elegant harp. She walked in Din’s shadow, he gaze adrift across the crowd. Her smile was shy, but her graceful steps were taken surely with a confidence bought with fluid grace.

To the left was Farore. Her skin tone spoke of someone who was rarely touched by the sun. Unlike her sisters, her hair was short, brought into two puffy forest-green pig-tails. Her lime dress was cheerful and lively, bursting with youthful energy. She walked with a bouncy pep to each step, matched by the unrestrained smile she wore proudly.

They looked so similar to the last time he saw them, but different too. It was subtle, but they looked older.

“Oh, there they are n—”

“HEY!” Legend shouted, racing up to the trio.   


The three sisters startled as he charged up to them. He pointed a figure with a sharp, jerky movement. “What the HELL are you three doing here?!” he shouted.

The square filled with people went deathly quiet. No one make a sound.

Four brought his palm to his face and silently looked towards the heavens, as though he was begging for answers.

The sisters looked at Legend with wide eyes and shock.

Din was the first to recover, shocked eyes turning to a smirk. “You brat! What the hell are YOU doing here! We LIVE here!”

This seemed to break the spell over everyone. Farore squealed in delight, and then pounced on Legend with a hug. He was too shocked to dodge.

Even shy Nayru broke into a wide grin. “What a delightful surprise to see you again!”

“Bwuh?” Legend intelligently replied.

Four padded up to the mini-reunion, the rest following. “You three know him?” Four asked, eyebrows reaching his hairline.

“Link, of course we know L—” Farore paused. Looked back and forth between the two Links. “Huh.”

“It’s a long story.” Four and Legend chimed at the same exact time. 

Din guffawed, throwing her head back. “I bet it must be!” She strided over to Legend and gave him a hard thump on the back, knocking him off balance. “This one never does anything by half measure!”

Four still looked confused. Legend could relate. “How do you know each other?” Flur asked.  _ How do you know Legend, someone who won’t be alive for centuries _ , was probably what he really wanted to ask.

Nayru gave a nostalgic smile. “He saved my life, as well as the entirety of Labrynna.”

Din nodded. “Same for my life, as well as Holodrum.”

Heads turned to Farore.

Farore laughed. “Nope, never saved my life! He did save my house, though!”

“I did?” Legend muttered.

Farore punched in the shoulder. “The Maku Tree, duh!”

Legend grimaced. “Oh. Right.  _ Her _ .”

“She always used to ask me when you’d come back, y’know.”

Legend groaned.

“She told me that she was plenty patient, though! She’s still waiting to marry you!” Farore said with a wink.

Legend groaned louder.

He could faintly hear Sky whisper “Wait, her house wants to marry Legend?”

A low whistle came from Warrior. “Daayum, Legend, you’ve been holding out on us! You saved Hyrule twice, AND two other kingdoms?”

Legend averted his eyes. “Sure. What else was I supposed to do?” he muttered. Not like he had a choice in the matter, back in the day.

Any self-deprecating thoughts were cut off as Din put him into a head-lock. “Don’t give me that crap! You could’a left me to rot at any point of your quest. Me, someone who you’d known for half an hour, tops. Give yourself more credit!” She proceeded to show her thanks by giving him a nuggie.

After a short struggled to free himself, Legend knew it was time to be serious. “How are you three even alive right now?” he whispered.

Din and Farore jerked their thumbs to Nayru, who blushed.

“Well, we weren’t exactly in the mood to be hunted down again. And I AM the Oracle of Ages, in case you forgot.” She winked. She looked… sad? “You still know my song and still have my harp. Being an Oracle, though, I don’t need a mythical instrument to switch time periods.”

Time twitched. “Time travel?” He muttered, face blank as a mask.

Nayru looked him over, eyes sticking on the Ocarina of Time at his waist. “Mm, a different sort than you may be used to, but yes. It’s kept us safe for many years now, thankfully.”

Din clapped her hands twice, snapping attention to her. “Jeeze! What’s with the heavy atmosphere?! This is cause for a celebration!” She clasp Legend on the back, causing him to stumble again. “After tonight’s closing ceremony, I’ll buy you a drink! In fact,” Din looked at the assembled Links, “I’ll buy all of you drinks! Well, those of age, that is.”

“Aww…” Wind sulked.

Warrior smirked, patting his head. “Don’t worry squirt, one day you’ll be able to drink with the big boys.”

Wind rolled his eyes. “I’m a pirate, remember? I’ve been drinking grog for years.”

“Mama’s Cafe has a strict ‘no-minors’ rule, so no alcohol for you, young one.” Nayru said.

“Mmm, I could use a good drink.” Twilight said.

“Farore, Din, we really do need to get ready for the ceremony,” Nayru reminded them.

“Oh, you’re right! We lost track of time!” Farore hung her head. Then she gasped, eyes swinging to her sisters. “Hey, I’ve got an idea! Remember that one song that we’ve been wanting to sing, but can’t, since it needs a male voice?”

Nayru’s face lit up. “You’re right!” She turned to Legend. “He’d fit the roll perfectly!”

“Uh.” Legend took a moment to add two plus two. “UH. NO.”

“C’mon brat, are you for real?” Din smirked, devilish look in her eyes. “You haven’t forgotten my dancing lessons, have you? You afraid you’ll dance as poorly as the time we first me?”

Legend blushed hard, his entire face turning bright red. “No, I did  _ not _ forget how to dance. I’ll have you know I am a  _ great _ dancer now.”

“Prove it then!” Farore shouted, draping herself across Legend’s shoulder. “I  _ know _ you can sing too, hero boy~”

Legend’s face twisted like curdled milk. “You don’t know anything.”

“Remind me, who’s the Oracle of Secrets?” She waved a hand in the air. “Oh! Me! That’s right!” She brought her voice low. “I know everything, and don’t you forget.”

Legend coughed. “Right. Guess I’m helping you three. Against my will.”

 

~~**~~

 

_ Drip. Splish. Splash. Drip. Splish. Splash. Drip. _

_ Splish splish splash. Drip. Splish. Drip. Drip. Splish. Splash. Drip. _

_ Drip. Splash. Drip. Drip. Drip. Splish. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Shiver shiver shiver. _

_ He was so cold. _

 

~~**~~

 

Twilight was enjoying Four’s Hyrule. It reminded him a bit of home, before everything began.

It was… peaceful?

It was certainly strange, he knew that.

_ Seriously, why did they bake rocks into bread? _

The peace was grating on his nerves.

Was it paranoia? Twilight was just  _ waiting _ for something to go wrong.

He  _ knew _ something bad would happen before the end of the day. He could invision in already…

_ Din, Nayru, and Farore sang and danced on the stage. Suddenly, clouds gathered and blotted the sun. The town was shaded in dark, dull colors. Guards began yelling. The lazy guardsmen were no match for the sudden onslaught of monsters, and they all die without a fight. Monsters poured into the city. People screamed. Dull gray-red blood caked the streets—  _

Twilight shook his head. He knew he was being overly paranoid.

He made sure he was prepared nonetheless.

Out of the corner of his eye something moved. He very deliberately did  _ not _ look at the spot.

Maybe that’s why he felt so paranoid. Twilight could  _ swear _ he kept seeing small creatures skittering to and fro. Whenever he tried to get a closer look, there was nothing. The most he could find were various mouse holes or cracks in the wall.

He even asked Wild if he’d seen anything. Apparently not.

Out of the corner of his eye a pot wobbled, nearly toppled, then righted itself.

_ Twilight was going crazy _ .

He chucked his sword at the pot, instantly shattering it.

Oh. Woops. He just destroyed someone’s pot, in the middle of public. His face grew warm.

Time shot him a disapproving glare.

Apparently Four’s mother though this was the funniest thing she had ever seen. She bent double laughing, tears streaming down her face.

“Haaah! Just— Just like you, Link! Haha!!” She choked between laughs.

Four rolled his eyes. “I was 12. TWELVE. I don’t do that anymore!”

The woman straightened and smirked. “Oh? Then, that time two years ago when you—”

“—THAT was an accident.” Four countered. “Also, you can’t prove that was me.”

Twilight decided this was the best time to have his walk of shame to retrieve his sword.

 

~~**~~

 

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ It’s so cold _

_ Where am I? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ I can’t feel my legs _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ I can’t see. Am I blind? Where’s my candle? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Oh yeah. Candle. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Oh, it’s probably in my bag. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ What was I doing again? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ I’m so cold. Wasn’t I shivering earlier? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Candle! I need my candle! _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Is this what death feels like? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Oh yeah. My bag? Why? Oh, candle. Right. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Why don’t I have my candle? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Am I even alive? I can’t see. Everything is numb, except for the parts that aren’t. Those parts really really hurt. I feel like I’m floating. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ I’m not dead, right? CANDLE! Right, I need… _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Oh, I need to move my hands to get the candle. Duh! Thinking about it doesn’t work… Move… hands…  _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Goddesses, they’re so numb. Are they even moving? Do they even work? Do I even have hands? _

_ Drip. Splash! _

_ Oh, there we go. Yes, good hands. Now find bag. _

_ Splash! Splash! Drip. Splash! _

_ Hmm. This is getting me nowhere. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Where am I again? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ FOCUS! CANDLE! _

_ Splash. Splash. Drip. Drip. _

_ Oh, now I remember. The well. Concussion. The… _

_ Drip Drip. _

_ The water. Too deep. Don’t have my raft, can’t swim. _

_ Splash splash splash. _

_ Heh. Can’t feeeel my feet, knee deep in waaater~ _

_ Splash splash splash THUNK _

_ URK _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ What… did my foot hit? _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ The water? How does… that work? _ _  
_

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Oh. Oh yeah. My boots. My boots… that allow me to walk on water… _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Wow. Maybe I deserve to die… _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Ok, ok… need to… need to get moving. Right now. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Right. Now. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Come ON LEGS, WORK! _

_ Drip. Splish. Sploosh. _

_ Ok, ok. I’m standing. I think? Can’t feel… anything. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ Shit. Shit shit damn. Legs are shaky. I think. If I fall right now, I’m going to land in the deep water. If I fall, I’m going to drown. If I fall, I’m going to drown. If I fall, I’m going to drown. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ I’m scared. _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_ I’m so scared. _

_ Drip. Splish. Drip. Splish. _

_ Ok. Ok. One step at a time. Ok. _

_ Drip. Splish. Drip. Splish. _

_ How long has I been walking? Two steps? Ten? Three hundred? How long have I been down here? _

_ Drip. Splish. Drip. Splish. _

_ Where am I again? _

_ Drip. Splish. Drip. Sploosh. _

_ Damn damn damn damn nearly fell. _

_ Drip. Splish. Drip. Clunk. _

_ Clunk? _

_ Clunk clunk clunk. _

_ Oh, I’m back on land. _

_ Dry, freezing-cold stone. Thank the goddesses, I’ll take it. _

_ Oof. _

_ Oh, did I fall over? _

_ Heh. Landed on my side this time. If I land on my other side next time, I’ll have hit all sides! _

_ It’s very cold. I’m very cold. Why is it so cold? _

_ Where am I again…? Can I sleep yet? _

_ Are my eyes even open? I can’t tell. _

_ Do I even have eyes? _

 

~~**~~

 

Wild wanted a last minute pastry before the shop closed for the night. Warrior, Twilight, Wind, and Wild made their way to the stand.

The baker cheerfully greeted Wild. He handed Wild a croissant.

“Now don’t forget, son, that’s got a kinstone in—” 

**CRUNCH**

“Ow!”

“...”

“Mmm… bread...”

Warrior turned to Twilight. “I am so sorry.” He patted the man’s shoulder.

Twilight had the expression of a man regretting the entirety of his life. “Me too.”

Wild scrunched up his face. He chewed for a few more seconds, and then stopped. 

“Wild, I swear to the goddesses—” Twilight began.

Wild held up a hand to stop him. Then, he reached into his mouth and pulled out a red and white shard.

“...”

“Is… that a tooth?” Warrior could feel his eyebrows rise to his hairline.

Wild gave a toothy grin and held up two fingers.

Warrior could see two spots in Wild’s smile where teeth should have been. One of the missing teeth was right in the front, giving Wild an almost child-like grin.

Twilight laid his head in his hands. “He lost one earlier too.”

“Wild,” Wind piped up, “You know you’re supposed to take the kinstones out  _ first _ , right?”

“A bit late for that, Wind.” Twilight mumbled from his place buried in his hands.

Wild took another bite. “Wha’sa Kinstone?”

“... Nevermind.” Wind shook his head.

The baker cleared his throat. “Ah-hem. Would you three like a pastry? Please, take the kinstone out first.” The man practically begged.

“Of course,” Warrior rolled his eyes. “We aren’t this idiot.”

“Mmmm… bread.”

A few bites later (AFTER extracting the kinstone,) and Warrior had to admit it really was some damned good pastry. Not ‘break-your-teeth’ good, but definitely worth getting.

On the way back to the others, they bumped into the lovely lady Marcy. Warrior, his glorious charisma firmly in place, greeted the postwoman. She smiled sweetly and waved, but didn’t join him. A shame.

“‘Fraid Marcy’s taken, sir,” a man said to Warrior’s side.

Warrior internally winced. “Is that so? My apologies, I didn’t realize.” Of course, the fact that she had so readily flirted earlier with him hadn’t helped matters.

The man nodded. “It’s understandable, but this is your only warning. She truly is a temptress, but she’s my beloved.” The man gave a long happy sigh. “Ah~ my beloved Marcy, just as beautiful as Queen Zelda…”

Warrior choked on the last bite of cake he was eating. 

Twilight beat on his back as he coughed and hacked his windpipe clear.

“Did he just say—” Warrior tried to say.

“Ah, sir, surely you don’t mean that about such a lovely lady?” Twilight said, eyes wide.

The man blinked. Then he glared at Twilight. “Ex—CUSE ME?! My BELOVED MARCY, the LIGHT of my WORLD, is ABSOLUTELY equal in beauty to Queen Zelda! I will not STAND for this SLANDER!”

“Uh—”

“Such RADIANT BEAUTY, the PERFECTION of the feminine figure!!”

“Twilight, is… is that what I sound like?”

“THE SWEETEST ANGEL!!”

“... You’re not so bad, Warrior.”

“UNMATCHED BY ANY OTHER!!”

“Thank Hylia.” 

“Oh husband!” Marcy called, coming to the rescue.

“Coming, dear!~” He cried back. Before he left, he leveled one last glare. “Never speak so lowly of my dear Marcy, or the beloved Queen!” And then he was off.

“What.”

“Twilight, are… are people laughing at us?”

“Well, Wind is,” Wild butt in.

Sure enough, Wild was crying, sprawled on the ground.

“Wind?”

“I… Hah… I can’t take it! HAHA! I can’t hold it in any longer! AHAHAHA!!”

Warrior looked to Wild. Wild shrugged. Warrior was disappointed in himself for expecting Wild to have the answer.

 

~~**~~

 

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

_ Shuffle… Shuffle… Shuffle… _

_ …  _

_ …  _

_ Shuffle… shuffle… shuffle…  _

_ …  _

_ Is that… sound? _

_ … _

_ Oh... Where... am I? _

_ … _

_ Shuffle… Shuffle… Shuffle… _

_ What... is that? _

_ … _

_ Oh... Did I fall asleep? _

_ No, I don’t think so. _

_ Or did I? Am I awake right now? It… doesn’t feel like I am. _

_ Is any of this… real? _

_ Am I still cold? I… I can’t tell. _

_ … _

_ Shuffle… shuffle… shuffle…  _

_ Is that… something in my hand? _

_ It is. But… I didn’t move? Or… maybe it was always in my hand? _

_ Do I even have hands? _

_ What is this? _

_ Hard… Metal… What kind of shape is this? _

_ … _

_ Was I… doing something? _

_ I’m tired… _

_ … _

_ … _

_ Oh… right… the thing… in my hands…. _

_ Mmm… Yep still no clue what this is. _

_ Oh… is that… an indent? _

_ Click. _

“Aah!”

Fire. Light. Blinding. It hurts it’s bright it’s burning it’s…

Warm?

Warmth!

Lantern. Lantern! Lantern Friend!!!

Where did this lantern come from?

Not Candle. Lantern. It looks familiar.

Four’s lantern?

Oh. Where am I?

This lantern doesn’t provide much light…

Oh, I can see the deep pool of water.

I’m glad I didn’t drown.

Oh Goddesses, is that blood?

...oh… that’s my blood.

That’s…. a lot of blood.

I need to get out of here.

Let’s see. Water, wall, wall, wall…

Ah! A gap in the wall.

Is… am I in a labyrinth?

Who puts a maze in a well?

Oh, it’s a small maze. Maybe that’s why.

No wait, the way is blocked by a boulder.

Maybe I can push it…?

Ow.

Nope. Now it’s a bloody rock. Still in the way.

Hmm….

…

…

…

Oh… I was doing something.

Right…

Where am I?

…

Am I in a maze?

…

I think I’m lost.

...

Oh hey, a chest!

… This is… a rock? Half of a rock?

… Well it’s shiny and mine now…

...

Oh, another room!

Another room? Have I been to a room yet?

Mmmm…. Warm lantern… good lantern friend...

Right, room needs to be explored still.

Oh! A ladder!

This is an old ladder… Goddesses, please don’t like this break beneath me…

_ Creak _

_ Creak _

_ Creak _

_ … _

What was I doing again?

**_Creak_ **

OH RIGHT HALFWAY UP THE LADDER

_ Creak _

Made it! Made it! Dirt! Yes! Dirt! That’s good! I think!

…

It’s still dark.

Where am I?

 

~~**~~

_ A few minutes earlier... _

 

Wild was smirking.

“Don’t.” Twilight warned.

“Hey Twi.”

“No.”

“Guess what time it is.”

“No.”

“Twilight guess what time it is.”

“Ugh… Let me guess… It’s twilight.”

Wild shrugged. “I was gonna say dusk.”

Twilight facepalmed. 

There was a sound that caught Twilight’s attention. Like something being… dragged?

He looked over and saw a bright red lantern skittering along the ground.

What.

“What.”

“What?” Wild asked.

“Is that… a lantern?”

“A lantern? Where?”

Twilight turned to face Wild. “What do you mean, ‘where’? Right there—”

Twilight turned back to where the lantern was. Or rather, had been.

“Hmm… Nope, don’t see it. Or is it really small?”

Twilight stared at the blank spot that had just held a lantern.

“Or… do you mean, a metaphorical lantern?” Wild looked up into the sky “Like a constellation shaped like a lantern? Can’t see the stars quiet yet.”

“... Just… nevermind Wild.”

“K.” 

 

~~**~~

_ One minute prior, _

 

Four felt a small tug on his shoulder. He smiled at the tiny Picori vying for his attention. The small creature was wringing their hands together, tapping their foot impatiently. 

“I’ll be right back…” he told the group, flashing a wink to Zelda.

He headed to a private corner. “What do you need, little one?”

Understanding a Picori wasn’t exactly like understanding spoken speech. 

_ :c Need help for helpless! Too cold cannot get warm!! :c _

Ah, Four has had this kind of situation in the past. Picori dislike the suffering of others, and often try to help if possible. There were many situations over the years where the Picori helped animals when necessary.

Four unhooked his lantern and sat it on the ground. “Will this be fine?”

_ c: Yes! Many thanks! Off I go! c: _

“Don’t forget to bring it back!” He softly called after the retreating Picori.

 

~~**~~

_ Now _

 

Mmmm… dirt. Dirt dirt dirt. Dirt is good. Dirt is life.

No nap! Nap later! Not now! 

Ok, time to take stock of myself.

Head: hurts. Very nauseous. Nose is no longer bleeding. Probably. Back of head is still bleeding a little, I think. Side of head might also be bleeding, not sure.

Body: Not numb anymore! Mostly. A little numb. Shaky shaky shivery. Also everything is very very painful.

Still body: Not soaked anymore. Damp. Kinda gross. Very ow.

Legs: Still kinda numb. Is that bad? Hmm…

Hands: Hmm…

Wiggle… wiggle…

Hands are dumb. Ugh, so slow….

Dammit, shivering again. 

Where…?

Dirt, ladder, hole…

No wait, I just came from the hole. Don’t go back down DON’T.

Alright, alright… so… cave. Let’s see… To my left is a hard rock wall. To my right is also a hard rock wall. Behind me is… another hard rock wall. In front is… the same rock wall? Wait, no, turn around first dammit. Wall. Oh but this wall is soft!

Maybe I can dig my way out? The dirt in this side just slides right away.

Yes, that should work… as soon as I get out of this cave, I can get my bearings and…

And what?

I’m hurt. I’m weak. My hands are still shaking. I couldn’t kill a Keese right now. If I  _ do _ make my way out of this cave, then what? 

Where am I? Was I in a dungeon? Am I near a town? Damn, damn, damn. Do I have a map?

… Stupid question, of course I don’t.

I’m tired. I’m so tired. Surely a nap would be fine. The dirt is so soft… The lantern is warm (why am I still shivering?) I’m as safe as I’ll be in this cave… yea… nap….

…

…

…

 

~~**~~  
  


_ Tap tap tap! _

Four jerked at the urgent tapping on his shoulder.

It was the same Picori from before?

“Be right back,” he excused himself.

“Again? The show’s about to start you know.” Twilight murmured.

“I won’t be long.”

Twilight nodded. He began to turn his head away, then his eyes caught on Four’s shoulder. He did a double take.

Four raised an eyebrow.

“... Nothing.” Twilight muttered.

Four made himself scarce once again. “Is everything alright?” He asked the Picori.

_ :C No! Stuck in cave now! :C _

Four frowned. Stuck in a cave? Wasn’t the creature freezing earlier? “‘Stuck’ how?” 

_ :c Trapped behind soft soil :c _

Four grimaced. He remembered the time before he had his Mole Mitts. Once, he snuck into a cave in his Minish form. When he grew to his normal size, he disturbed some of the soft soil that was over the tiny tunnel he had used to enter the area. It took him days to dig himself out with his bare hands. He remembered how certain he had been that he would die in that cave.

Four didn’t even hesitate before handing the Mole Mitts to the Picori.

_ :v Many thanks. Off I go now! :v _

Four sighed as he watched the Picori skitter away. Hopefully whatever poor creature was trapped could use his mitts.

 

~~**~~ 

 

“I wonder what they’ll sing…” Twilight said aloud.

“We’ll find out in a few minutes, pup.” Time said.

The town square was packed. Everyone in town was in attendance.

It made Twilight nervous. Twitchy.

This would the perfect time for something to go wrong.

Twilight took a long calming breath. There was no need to be so paranoid.  _ Calm down _ .

He looked away from the crowd of people. Hyrule Town was truly beautiful. The people seemed so genuinely happy, and it showed. The fauna was bright and vibrant, the trees were green and cheerful, the claws were skittering across the grass— 

“CLAWS!” Twilight yelled, pointing. “LOOK!”

Time startled, dropping the small trinket he had been examining. “What?” He look at Twilight with an extremely confused expression. 

Twilight whipped around to glare at Time. “Don’t look at ME dammit, look at THOSE! They’re moving!” He gestured harshly towards the  _ moving pair of claws _ .

Twilight watched as Time raised a single eyebrow. Slowly. Then cocked his head. Slowly.

“LOOK DAMMIT!”

SLOWLY, like a Goddess-damned  _ SNAIL _ Time turned his head to the spot where Twilight was vigorously gesticulating towards.

Then, just as slowly, Time looked back at Twilight, unimpressed.

“... There’s nothing there, is there.” Because of course, the SECOND Twilight had taken his eyes away from the claws to look at Time, they would disappear. Of course.

Twilight was going to  _ kill something. _

Time’s expression slowly morphed. Twilight couldn’t put his finger on what the expression was.

“Pup… When was the last time you slept.”

Ah.

That expression was  _ concern _ .

“I did  _ not _ imagine it Time! It was there!”

Wild, the cheeky bastard, chose this time to pitch in. “You mean like the imaginary lamp you saw earlier?”

“It wasn’t a lamp, it was a lantern. There’s a difference.” Twilight huffed. “... And it wasn’t imaginary, it was real.”

“You never answered my question, son.” Time said.

“I’ve slept enough, that’s all that matters. And don’t call me son, you’re not my real d— you’re not my dad.”

Then Time did the thing.

_ Dammit _ .

He gave the  _ Look _ . The dreaded Look. The ‘I’m Disappointed in you, son’ look.

Twilight slump in defeat. “--ree -ays…” he mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I said… three days….”

Time tisked. “You need to sleep more often.”

Twilight rolled his eyes. “I don’t need as much sleep as normal people.”

“You still need more than you’re getting.”

“Guys! Shhh!” Wind shushed them, “The shows starting!”

Time gave Twilight a look that promised the conversation was far from over.

Too bad for Time that Twilight was already looking away, and could easily ignore the look. Hah.

 

~~**~~

 

Nghh… no…

Get… get off… no... 

Crawling all over… they won’t come off… no, stop, get off…

Hurts… stop…. Stop….

Ngh! I fell asleep! I shouldn't have done that. Ugh… How long was I out? A hour? A day?... 5 minutes? 

What is that feeling?

Oh. I’m covered in spiders.

Hm…

I’M COVERED IN SPIDERS AAAAAAA— 

Ok ok ok ok calm ok it’s fine ok I can fix this ok ok ok no panicy I am a hero I can deal with this ok ok alright alrighty okey-dokey I can do this I am— 

OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF

Shit. Ow.

Well, they’re off.

Slammed into the wall. But they’re off.

Right, right… still stuck behind this wall. Right…

Why does my foot hurt? Oh I stepped on something. Shit I hope I didn’t step on the lantern. I’m still so cold.

Wait I can still see so I obviously didn’t step on the lantern good.

Oh ow, cut straight through my boot. Dammit these are my good floaty boots. I wonder if they still work with a hole in them. Boats stop working if they have holes, so do boots stop working too? Hmm I should…

Focus.

Ok. Bleeding a bit onto the ground. From the foot wound. Wait no, there’s a lot of blood around here. It wasn’t all from my foot, right?

Ew, I was napping in a pile of blood, gross. Who just leaves piles of blood around? Hm, fresh too. Wonder whose blood it is….

That’s a mystery for another time. Ok, sharp thingy that cut my boot (and foot). Let’s see it’s…

Hm. Very sharp. Yes. My hand has just confirmed this.

Damn, now my hand is getting fresh blood everywhere. That’s even worse than the caked blood from earlier. 

Cake…

Wasn’t I eating cake earlier?

FOCUS.

Ok, sharp… claws? No, mittens? Sharp mittens, nice. I want a pair of these. Oh wait I have a pair now. Did I steal these? I don’t remember paying for them. Or… did I find them in a chest?

Mm, they are nice and warm on my hands. Cozy. Is it nap time again?

NO NAP TIME. Have to get OUT! Oh hey, claws plus wall…

Wow. These claws HATE dirt! Or hate walls? Whatever, time to dig myself to freedom! Hyrule, here I come!

Dammit, tripped again.

 

~~**~~

 

Legend was regretting many things. Mostly, he was regretting his entire life.

Nayru and Din were flanking him, which made him feel a bit better. They had decided to sing an old Labrynian song, thankfully one he knew.

“As the Picori festival winds down, we all give thanks to the Goddesses for another blessed peaceful year,” Farore was saying to the townsfolk, loud and proud onstage “I know everyone is looking forward to our closing song, but it’s going to be extra special this year!”

“The Goddesses have blessed myself and my sisters with the appearance of a dear old friend. One who, in fact, saved the lives of both my sisters. Where it not for this brave hero, neither Din nor Nayru would be here today.”

Legend felt a blush threaten to rise. Of  _ course _ Farore had to sing his praise. He was going to murder her. After his face was no longer burning.

“In fact, some of you may have heard of his exploits! The homeland of my fair sister Nayru was once overtaken by a cruel witch, Veran. But this brave hero saved not only Nayru, but all of Labrynna when he slew the dark sorceress!”

If Legend was surprised that Farore was describing an adventure that technically wouldn’t be completed for centuries, he was doubly surprised by the crowd’s response.

Murmurs rippled through the townsfolk. 

 

“By the Goddesses, I remember hearing about that!” 

“I’ve got a cousin from Labrynna, I thought he was done for, ‘till that wicked Veran was dealt with.” 

“Goddesses, the Hero of Labrynna is here? What an honor!” 

“I hear they gave the man statues and everything.” 

“That cursed Black Tower was visible from our very mountains, I remember it!”

 

If Legend hadn’t been blushing before, he certainly was now. Ugh, why hadn’t he stopped Queen Ambi from making those statues…?

Oh. Right. He had used the Harp of Ages to switch between the present and the past. Huh, funny to think that his time in Labrynna’s past synced up with Four’s time period.

“In honor of our old friend, tonight for our closing song we have invited him to join us in singing a song!” Farore cheered, and gestured for them to join her on the stage.

The crowd went wild with cheers.

Legend took a breath and let his anxieties wash away. He blocked the crowd from his mind and felt a battle calm fog over his mind.

Soon Nayru’s harp was stringing her divine cords. Din followed her lead, beginning to dance. Each movement jangled the bells along her arms and wrists, adding to the harp’s melody. She clapped out a beat, a beat the crowd adopted and amplified.

Farore then added her voice to the fray, Nayru echoing her voice in the background.

 

_ Sing for the lost, for eternal affairs _

_ Sing to raise your spirit in great despair _

_ Through the ashes of oblivion. _

_ Quick and unseen like the demon's offspring _

_ For he owes no debts and bows to no king! _

_ Every war has its costs and he’s paid, _

_ Won by the bond of the party he’s made. _

 

Legend twisted and turned, matching Din beat for beat. Perfectionist he was, he had done well to maintain his dancing abilities (plus, he had needed to dance well so the Gorons would give him that damned mermaid key…)

His earlier stage fright was gone, his blood matching rhythm to the beat. The audience faded from his mind. He had no hesitation as he took over from Farore, his voice ringing through the town square.

 

_ Warn with a call that the battle starts now _

_ As the demons listen we strike them down! _

_ Fighting back the rifts of blood. _

_ Sent from the sky lies a angel in need, _

_ Give him muse to strengthen and words to heed! _

_ Heaven's doused and set alight _

_ I've knocked on the gates of hell tonight! _

 

Legend’s face was split into a grin. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so free. A twist, hop, and a leap. Arm in arm with Din, the two spun around the other. Parting, Legend began the next verse.

 

_ Broken swords and demon's bones, _

_ Scattered on the way back home, _

_ Beating to the sound of clashing steel, _

_ When they're on our heels. _

_ Now chant the tales and legends told, _

_ Strengthened by the hymns of old, _

_ Weathered as this winding road is long, _

_ So we sings our hero’s song! _

 

Farore danced to his left, Din to his right. If he wasn’t busy catching his breath, he would have laughed. 

 

_ Play out this age in your sequence of chords _

_ To inspire and sharpen your rusted swords. _

_ Echoing the whisper of the trees. _

_ Creep 'long a path where a thousand others failed, _

_ From the thick Crescent Isle jungle trails. _

_ Come from afar to set prisoners free, _

_ Into dark tangled depths from the open sea. _

 

Legend smirked, the pause in the song giving him the perfect chance. Roc’s Feather clenched in his fist, he dove backwards. Letting his momentum carry him, he moved with the easy grace the Feather gifted him. Three backflips in a row then halting in a handstand. A twist of his legs and a hop from his hand and he faced the crowds. One more flip and he was upright once more. He laughed, giving dual high-fives to Farore and Din as they bounced to his side. Not a moment too soon, as Nayru’s harp signaled the next verse.

 

_ Second chances don't come cheap, _

_ So keep alert and on our feet! _

_ An ancient spirit's song will heal your wounds. _

_ Unabashed by our defeat, _

_ Spite the bloodstains on these cobble streets, _

_ A message to the goddess to see us through. _

_ Ever heard, yet rarely sung, _

_ So raise your voice and praise the sun! _

_ I call a new rebirth to keep us strong. _

_ Countless souls along the path, _

_ Lost to fiends and lords of wrath, _

_ But we'll return to play our final song, _

_ So we sing out hero’s song! _

 

Panting, Legend gave one last flourish.

The crowd went wild. 

Legend left the stage, sweaty and feeling better than he had in a long time. Then he was ambushed.

“That was amazing! Why haven’t you ever sang for us before?!” Wind cried, latching onto his pant leg.

“You’ve been holding out on us, you bastard!” Warrior said, his eyes wide.

“Nicely done!” Sky piped.

Legend felt himself shrink away from the attention. Of course. Damned, he never should have agreed to sing…

“Please hush, we will now finish our closing ceremonies!” Farore’s voice cut through the crowd, silence falling. Legend felt his shoulder slump in relief. “Now, would Her Grace like to speak a few words? Or is she ‘still in the castle’ on this fair night?” Farore looked directly out into the middle of the crowd, clearly not looking at anyone in particular. 

Legend saw the others trade confused looks. All the others, except Four. Four, who had a smirk.

“I’d love to,” the woman beside Four said, and began to approach the state with grace befitting of a queen.

Ohhhh.

“Wait, Four, why’s your mother heading up the stage?” Warrior whispered.

He didn’t whisper quiet enough, because multiple townsfolk nearby burst into giggles. Wind included.

Queen Zelda took to the stage. She gave a curtsy to the crowd, and the crowd bowed lightly in response.

“Another lovely festival this year. In fact, I must say this is one of the most joyous festivals I’ve been to in decades. Truely, everyone has outdone themselves this year!”

Queen Zelda gave a small speech. It was clearly unrehearsed and straight from the heart. It was odd, Legend thought, how informal she was with her subjects. But there was an undercurrent of deep respect towards her. Queen Zelda was a monarch that the people well and truly loved.

Zelda returned to the group of Links, many of which gaped at her openly.

She brought a hand to her mouth and chuckled. “I do apologize for my earlier fibs. It has been quite a long while since I have met any who could not recognize me on sight, and I simply could not let the opportunity pass.”

Warrior silently fumed, but he was more embarrassed than angry.

  
  
  


~~**~~

 

“...Let me have a vassal send a message for my husband, I’ll meet you all at Mama’s cafe.” Zelda said.

Warrior frowned. “I thought you haven’t seen your husband in years?”

Zelda just smiled and left.

“That was another lie, wasn’t it?!” she could faintly hear his shout.

It didn’t take long to send the message along. A few minutes at the most. She was making her way towards the cafe when she heard… a man shouting?

She paused to listen.

Yes, someone was yelling. 

As she got closer, she could make out the words better. The meaning to those words were a still mystery though.

“—REEDOM! AIR! SKY! ALIVE! I LIVE! AAAAAA….”

She came to the old abandoned tunnel-way. The old caved-in entrance was carved open. A man stood, swaying and shivering violently. He was wearing Link’s Mole mitts...? With Link’s old lantern attached to his belt?

“E-excuse me, sir?” She called out to the man.

He froze. He slowly turned to look at her, squinting. He squinted harder, then fumbled with Link’s lantern and shoved it towards he, looking closer.

He hummed, still squinting. “Why’a you so blurry?” 

Zelda, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned. The man might have brought the lantern up to get a better look at her, but it also gave her a better look at him.

To excuse her own mental language, the man looked like shit.

His head was caked in blood. He clearly had a broken nose, fat trail of (mostly dried) blood oozing down his face. The side of his head also had a great deal of blood. He looked deathly pale.

She could also see that his pupils were different sizes. That was a very bad sign.

Zelda opened and closed her mouth a few times. “Are… Are you well?” Zelda winced. Clearly he wasn’t.

The man blinked. Then he laughed, dropping the lantern, illuminating the man’s body from below. “Hah! Well! I ‘member now! The well!”

It was now that Zelda noticed other wounds littering the man. Blood poured from the inside of the Mole Mitt. In fact, spatters of blood were visible on the outside of the claws as well. Glance behind the man, she could see a trail of bloody footprints as well.

Honestly, between the shivering and the swaying, she was surprised the man could even stand.

His clothes looked wet. No wonder he was shivering.

“Sir, may I escort you to the doctor’s home?” She asked as though she were asking an injured animal.

He cocked his head, and squinted at her again. “...Zelda…? That you?”

Zelda was surprised. Very few people referred to her simply as ‘Zelda’. However, the man was clearly confused, so perhaps that was why.

“Yes, I am Zelda. Can you walk a small distance further? The doctor is not far.”

He frowned and looked like he was concentrating very hard. “Uhm. Yes? Yes. I am… good. At… walking?”

Dear Goddesses, she had to get this man to the doctors RIGHT now.

She took a deep breath, and took a step closer to the armed man.

“I am going to take these gloves off now,” She informed him.

He’d jerked back a tiny bit. “Whu? No, no, warm. Keep th’m on…”

“Please trust me?” She said, already taking them off.

The man blinked again, still squinting. “... ‘mk, I tru… mmm…”

Zelda took the first mitt off easily.

“...wha’ was I…”

The second mitt was harder. She quickly realized that the cut to his hand was deep and long.  _ Damn _ .

She didn’t hesitate, ripping a long strip from her royal robes. Expensive, maybe, but the silk would prove better bandages than her plain cover robe. This man needed every extra chance she could give him.

She quickly and expertly wrapped the wound.

“Woah, didn’ know you could do that. Yer so smar’ Zelda…”

“Thank you. Now, let’s start walking. Take my arm, I will steady you.”

He clumsily grasped onto her arm, and then leaned heavily into her as they began to walk. His arm was cold and clammy. It was far, far too cold. Hypothermia.

“‘M sorry.” He mumbled.

“You have nothing to apologize for, sir.”

“... Yer suppose’d ta lean on me, not… not me on you…”

Zelda gave the man a gentle smile. “Do not worry. I am stronger than I look.”

“ ‘m know that…” The man started to slow down.

“Keep walking, please. We are so close.” The doctor’s place was right around the corner, they were  _ so close _ .

“...mmm…”

Goddesses, if the man stopped, Zelda wouldn’t be able to carry him herself.

“You must keep walking, please…”

“...Zelda?”

“Yes, it is me. A little further now.”

“Oh. right. ‘M not gonna let… Not gonna die ‘cause of a well… Not t’day…”

The man gave a sudden burst of speed, making it to the doctor’s in a short time.

Zelda banged on the door as loudly as she could.

A moment later and the door opened. “No need to be so loud, what do you nee— Dear Goddesses!” The doctor shouted.

“Please help. This man appears to be suffering from a concussion, major blood loss, and likely hypothermia.”

The doctor ushered them in. Zelda worked beside the doctor to maneuver the injured man onto the patient bed. 

The doctor was cursing up a storm the entire time. It did not fill Zelda with confidence. 

He slowly coxed the man to drink some red potion.

The doctor looked at Zelda. It wasn’t a good look. “This is not looking good, my Queen.”

Zelda closed her eyes for a moment. She knew very well how easily medicine could fail. There were some things potions could not heal, or could not heal quick enough. 

Before she had taken the throne, she had spent many free evenings working in the castle infirmary. It was satisfying work, and it eased the ache in her young soul spawned from the helplessness during Vaati’s reign.

Those years had taught her two very important things, both for medicine and for ruling.

The first was that not everyone could be save. People  _ will _ die, and sometimes, it  _ will _ be her own fault.

The second, more important lesson was to never give up. Because sometimes, despite everything saying it was impossible, she might succeed.

Well, Link taught her that lesson first. But the years in the infirmary reinforced that.

“I am not giving up on him.”

The doctor nodded, grim smile in place. “I thought you would say that.” He gestured to the man. “I need something stronger than red potion. And I need it fast. Can you do that?” Zelda thought of Link, and the various incarnations of the very same Hero of Courage.

She nodded. “Yes. I will return soon.”

And then she ran.

 

~~**~~

 

“Four, your Hyrule sucks.” Warrior had his head buried into the mug in hands. It looked like the kind of mug you would drink alcohol out of. Inside was milk.

Four shrugged. “I don’t make the rules.” He drank a glass of milk.

Din, Nayru, and Farore had quickly retired to their homes. The long day had left the three tired, and with Legend’s promise to be in town for at least another day, they decided to get smashed in the next day.

Warrior threw up his hands. “It’s not fair! Why is the drinking age in the land  _ so high _ ?!”

Legends grinned, and tossed back his flagon of mead. “I think the age limit is just fine.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re 21.” Twilight muttered darkly, glaring into his milk.

“It’s bullshit!” Warrior cried. “Total bullshit! Time’n Legend are the only one who can drink!”

“You’re just salty because Mama could tell you were underaged.” Wind smirked.

Said woman, Mama, was manning the bar. She ran a tough ship. Milk cafe by day, mead bar by night.

“I want to know how the hells she knew I was exactly four months away from my 21st birthday…” Twilight grouched. 

Four shrugged. “No clue. She always seems to be able to tell how old someone is just by looking.”

Time, smirking into his mead, wiggled a few fingers. “Magic~”

“Hey, Mama!” Legends called to the lady, “How old is Time here?!” He jerked his thumb at said man.

Mama didn’t even blink before shooting a response. “Old enough to drink.”

Time smirked harder.

Warrior, however, suddenly saw the bright side of this situation. “So, Four, it’s a shame you haven’t that 21 mark. Must be awful to not be able to drink.”

Whatever response Warrior expected, it was the laughter that Four greeted him with.

“Do you see how small I am? It only takes a thimble before I’m shitfaced. No, drinking is not for me.”

“Don’t go telling lies, Link.” Mama called.

“Oh-ho? No need to lie about drink Four, there’s no shame in it!”

Four just rolled his eyes and sipped his milk.

Mama, however, wasn’t going to let that lie.

“How would you boys like to hear a lil’ story about lil’ ol’ Linky over there?”

Not even Time could resist being interested.

“Really?” Four sighed.

“The whole damned town had bets on the lil’ guy’s alcohol tolerance, back in the day.” She began. “The day he hit 21? There wasn’t no place in all’a Hyrule he could’ve hidden from us all!”

“He’s over 21…?” Warrior asked, looking like he didn’t want to hear the answer.

Mama looked at Four. Four shrugged. He made a ‘what can you do?’ face.

Mama burst into laughter.

“Aaahh… yes, yes. Dear Linky is over 21.”

“What?! No! Dammit!” Warrior cried.

“Ahem.” Time coughed, tilting his head towards Four’s judgmental stare.

“Can we get back to the story, Mama?” Wind asked.

_ “I lost the bet…” _ Warrior whispered.

“Of course dearie. So, the whole town was in on this bet. ‘How much can tiny Link drink?’ Everyone had their own theory. Hell, the town Doc even calculated the average amount it would take to inebriate someone Link’s size.”

“But in the end… No one won.”

“What?” Wind gasped.

“The doctor was distraught for weeks. For you see, ‘lil Link? He’s known for a great many things in these lands. But in town, he’s known as the man who drank exactly  _ four times _ the doctor’s prediction!”

Four rolled his eyes. “The ‘winner’ ended up being the Goron who lives in town. He didn’t know how much Hylains could drink on average, so he took a guess. The guess was way off, of course. However, I drank so much more than anyone thought I would that he ended up winning the whole pot.”

“Damn.”

“And then there was the time—”

Whatever Mama was going to say next was interrupted by the bar door slamming open.

The eight assembled Links were instantly battle ready.

Four gasped. “Zelda!”

She was covered in blood. Her face was red from running, her hair a mess.

“‘M fine! Not my blood!” She said.

“I am still alarmed.” Four responded.

“Good. I need any healing items. Strong. Something more than a red potion. On the double, a man is dying as we speak.”

The assembled Links burst into a collective flurry parsing through their items.

“Damned, if only Hyrule was here! He knows that healing magic.” Legend said.

“... We forgot to look for Hyrule.” Time murmured.

“No time for that now.” Four said with a shake of his head.

“Looks like we have a few fairies.”

“That’ll have to do. Now come! No time to waste!” Zelda called as she flew out the door.

Perhaps they didn’t  _ all _ need to come, but there was something about a distraught Zelda that pulled at the heartstrings of all Links.

“I brought help!” Zelda yelled as she returned to the doctor’s office.

“Thank the Goddesses! I’ve stabilized the man, but he’s not doing well. The man should have been dead twice over, far as I can tell.” He gestured to the curtained off bed.

Links began handing over bottled fairies.

“Ah, yes… These might just do the trick.”

“If not,” Twilight spoke up, “I can track down Hyrule, he has strong healing magic.”

“A good backup plan.” the doctor nodded.

As the doctor pulled back the curtain to reveal the patient, the collective Links let out various gasps, gurgles, and shouts.

“Hyrule!”

“Dear Hylia! What happened to him!”

“He’s dead!” Legend shouted.

“He’s not.” The doctor corrected. “He sure made a good try at it though.”

“Nnng… ‘s loud…” Hyrule mumbled.

“He’s—”

“SHHHH!”

“... he’s awake?” 

“Woah… are you all real?”

“...What’s  _ wrong _ with him?” Legend aggressively whispered.

“Concussion. Hypothermia. Blood Loss. Who knows what else.” The doctor said. “I need to know roughly how long he has been in this state. Do any of you know when he went missing? He doesn’t seem to know.”

“I was gone… for… 5 minutes? Mebby a few years. I dunno… Time isn’t real…” Then he shot up in bed “WAIT.” Then clutched his head. “‘M sorry Time I know you’re real!”

“Last saw him around noon, I think.” Time answered.

“Wait, Time  _ is _ real, right? Or… did I just make him up...?”

“... noon, you say.” The doctor’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “So he’s been missing for  _ eight _ hours?”

“...Sounds about right.” Time nodded with a wince.

“Eight?... ate… aw, I ne’er gotta finish my cake…”

“Is he going to live?” Wild couldn’t help but ask.

The doctor shrugged. “Probably, with some fairy help. Brain damage is tricky, though.”

“ _ Brain damage _ ?!” Legend whispered even more aggressively.

“That what a concussion tends to mean, yes.”

“Well? What are we waiting for?” Legend said.

“NO!” Hyrule cried.

“W-what?”

“The well… The well! I nearly got killed by a  _ well _ !” He shouted.

“...what?”

…

The doctor didn’t waste any more time, and opened a fairy bottle for Hyrule.

It took two more before the doctor was satisfied.

“Make sure he rests for at least a day. Two days, if possible.”

“Uhhhgggg everything huuuurts…” Hyrule whined.

“Young man, do you know how  _ lucky  _ you are to be alive right now?!”

“... Actually, I feel pretty  _ unlucky _ to be alive right now.”

Four felt the familiar  _ tap tap tap _ on his shoulder. Goddesses, he hoped the Picori didn’t need more stuff.

“I’m going to step out, guys.”

Outside and around the corner, he spoke again with the Picori.

_ C: Many many many thanks! Helped and saved! C: _

Four couldn’t help the gentle smile. At least someone was doing better now.

_ C: I bring to items now! C: _

The Picori lead him a small distance.

There was a very familiar dirt tunnel, now with a large hole burrowed through it.

“...The tunnel that leads to the well? What?”

On the ground lay his lantern (still lit?) and Mole Mitts (Covered in blood!?!)

“Uh. Thanks.” He said, not sure what else to say.

_ C: Farewell! C: _

He gingerly picked up the items.

“What in the hells…”

“Welcome back, Four. Is everything alright?” Time inquired.

“Uh… yeah.” He said.

Four’s eyes drifted to Hyrule. Then to his still-bandaged hand.

The same side as his Mole Mitt that was oozing blood.

“Oh.”

Four realized... 

That tiny Picori probably saved Hyrule’s life.

“Hey, ‘Rule?” Four asked, his voice unusually quiet and soft.

“Ugh, Four, I don’t remember much of what happened if you’re gonna ask. Just a lot of cold and pain.”

“Alright. Do you recognize these, thought?” Four held up his two items.

“Lantern friend!” Hyrule immediately cheered. Then paused. “Huh. I think that lantern saved my life? I was cold and couldn’t see at all.”

“Hold on.” Twilight said, eyes wide. “That’s the claws! The ones I was telling you about, Time! And that lantern, it’s the same one!”

Time frowned. “Four, do your items move on their own?”

What kind of question was that? “No. Should they?”

“They did though! I saw them! I’m not crazy!”

Oh. Twilight must have seen the Picori moving them.

“And these gloves, ‘Rule?” Four prompted.

Hyrule squinted at them. “Oh… yeah… the warm mittens. Why are they covered in blood?”

Four gave him a flat stare. “You’re the only one who could tell us.”

“Oh, right.” Hyrule flushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“...You used them to dig out of the tunnel leading to the waterway…” Four muttered to himself. “Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Hyrule… you fell down the well.”

Hyrule blinked once, twice, and then he snapped his fingers. “THAT’S right!”

…

“YOU FELL DOWN A WELL?!”

“You were nearly  _ killed _ because you fell down a  _ well _ ?”

“Of all the ways to die!”

“How did you get so damaged by just falling!”

“Be quiet!” Zelda commanded.

They shut up.

Looking at Hyrule, it was easy to see why. He had a similar look as Wild would get when finding a memory.

About a minute passed before Hyrule shook himself out of it.

“Dear Goddesses. I fell down a fucking well. Hit my head, hard. I was… I was concussed. Way too confused to use magic. It was dark. Pitch black. I was soaked to the bone and it was so cold underground… Then I got to a patch of deep water and...”

Four winced. “Ah, I remember that area.”

Hyrule then turned red. “I’m so stupid. I should’ve died in that cave…”

“NO!”

Hyrule shook his head. “No, you don’t  _ understand _ ! I can’t swim and didn’t have my raft. I couldn’t get across, I thought I was stuck, so I just sat in the deep water like an idiot!”

“You were concussed, it’s understandable.”

“Guys.” He pointed to his boot. “I literally walk on water.”

“... You were concussed?”

“... I can’t believe I almost died cause I fell down a well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY.
> 
> Anyways, some explanations for those not so well-versed in different Zelda games:
> 
> Din, Nayru, and Farore:  
> Oracle of Seasons, Ages, and Secrets, respectively. Star in the games Oracle of Seasons/Ages (shocker). They also make an appearance in Minish Cap as "descendants" of oracles. I just took a liiiitle creative licence and made use of Nayru's canon time travel powers.
> 
> Picori:  
> Also known as the Minish. Tiny people (more or less) from Minish Cap. Very cute, very small. Helpful lil guys, usually can't be seen by adults (though I think there are some exceptions). 
> 
> Mole Mitts:  
> An item in Minish Cap. Allows Link to dig through certain "soft" walls to access new areas.
> 
> Mama's Cafe:  
> An actual place/person in the Minish Cap. Didn't serve alcohol in the game, but it MY STORY SO IT DOES NOW HAH.

**Author's Note:**

> My first addition to the LU fandom. Was originally going to be a small bit on Four's age, but then it grew into this weird world building/character study of Four.
> 
> I tried to keep to Four as close to Jojo's characterization, but ended up taking some liberties to flesh him out more (and to make a funny punchline).
> 
> For the sake of this fic, I went ahead and gave everyone official ages (noncanon to Jojo's LU, except Wild and Wind who's ages I think are mentioned) The second number is the bet they placed on Four.
> 
> Time: 31 — 25  
> Legends: 21 — 22  
> Twilight: 20 — 19  
> Sky: 19 — 18  
> Warrior: 18 — 15  
> Wild: 17 (117) — 23  
> Hyrule: 17 — 17  
> Wind: 14 — 40  
> -Time I figure can't be over 40, tops. Judging by his/Malon's looks, the fact that they don't have kids yet, and that Malon's dad still runs the farm. I so I put him at around ~30ish.  
> -Legends has a lot of adventures/experience under his belt, so I made him the second oldest.  
> -Twilight started his adventure later in life, and generally looks to be past his teen years, in my guess.  
> -Sky's game starts when he graduates into a Sky Knight (a "real" man). So he'd start his adventure at 18, maybe? So add a year and that's how I got 19.  
> -Warrior I have not played his game, so kinda sketchy for me there. I kinda get the sense that he's 'really young for a knight captain' though, so I just put him at 18.  
> -Hyrule idk, could be any age. In LoZ 2 he's 'about to turn' 16 at the start of it, so like Sky I just aged him a year after his last adventure.


End file.
